Medical Marijuana Patients: Medicated or Intoxicated?

(MOLALLA, Ore.) - If one reads any U.S. Government hogwash, it says ALL marijuana users are INTOXICATED. I presume that this comes from the same source that says an alcoholic drunk is intoxicated. Tipsy comes in there someplace like maybe ¼ drunk.

I am a Forensic Toxicologist, and in my language intoxicated means POISONED. There must be an intermediate term somewhere but it escapes me – under the influence doesn’t do it.

Patients taking morphine-like drugs, especially Oxycontin, are usually drunker (more intoxicated) than with alcohol and the anti-depressant drugs as a class also make patients “drunker” than with alcohol. Nobody calls them intoxicated, unless they are dead, which occurs too often. Antihistamines in high doses act the same way, and they can be lethal too, especially when combined with alcohol. Valium-type drugs may be among the worst depressing and addicting, especially with alcohol. Are they intoxicated?

If you want to get “high as a kite” try one or two espressos. If you’re not intoxicated with that, you sure will be vibrating at high velocity.

We’ve also got some really weird herbals, et cetera. How about sacred or "magic" mushrooms, LSD, Mescaline, Nutmeg and Morning Glory seeds. How about Qat.? Are these users intoxicated?

By comparison to alcohol, they are really drunk. Are they intoxicated, probably so.

Lets get back to medical marijuana/cannabis. Medical users use only enough to reduce their pain, spasms, vomiting, et cetera to tolerable levels. Are they intoxicated as the U.S. Government bleats? NO! Cannabis is non-toxic.

Most medical users say that they MEDICATE. This is a far more genteel term. Besides that, it takes too much valuable grass to get high. When I wrote this, I am fully cognizant of the euphoria produced by marijuana but I’m sure it comes in graded levels like slight, medium, high and really LOADED. Few patients can afford this.

DO I MAKE MYSELF CLEAR? ............ LET'S MEDICATE!!

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Christopher Carr April 30, 2010 8:56 am (Pacific time)

We need to at least relax prison sentences for non-violent crimes. California, and America, have a tragically overstimulated system of corrections. A fresh approach to how we understand prison and the goal of incarceration is the basis for a new system that balances crime prevention with the cost of locking up so many Americans. Read more: http://www.theinductive.com/articles/2010/4/27/the-prison-audit.html

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